1229 industry turmoil
It’s another ordinary morning. Even for Hollywood, which is full of countless miracles and infinite possibilities, the office life day after day, year after year is also boring, buried under countless boring paperwork. In this way, the passion and enthusiasm are worn away bit by bit..
Miracles do exist, but they are not the norm after all.
As usual, Barry Meyer arrived at the office at ten o'clock in the morning, spread out the newspaper on his desk, and used a cup of coffee to start browsing the daily industry news and grasp all the trends in the industry. Uncover potential connections and trends in information.
After finishing reading the newspaper, Barry began to open his letter.
Now in the 21st century, email has become the mainstream, and all information exchanges and conversations are completed through online channels; but the traditional letter model still remains, especially the "Hollywood Report" and "Variety Show" In-house professional magazines within the industry, the frequent use of printed and handwritten characters shows the accumulation of cultural heritage..
At the same time, the traditional letter mode is retained, which also preserves the tradition of the mailroom..
In the 1970s and 1980s, the mailroom was a stage that every new employee had to go through, from brokerage companies to film companies. Newcomers had to hone their skills here for a long time before they could win higher-level positions. The space on the first floor is, on the one hand, for polishing one’s mind, and on the other hand, for familiarizing oneself with the rules of the industry; of course, more importantly, it is for distinguishing the gap between qualifications and levels..
Nowadays, this tradition has gradually disappeared, but large production companies still maintain mailrooms, partly to polish newcomers or to be relegated to the sidelines, and partly to allow amateur screenwriters and producers to submit manuscripts, in order to Another way to expand your own data repository.
Of course, the letter will eventually appear on Barry's desktop. It has obviously been screened at all levels, and spam will definitely not appear here..
Opening a thick kraft paper envelope in front of him, Barry took it out. It was a USB flash drive and a script. He couldn't help but frown slightly: Why was the script delivered to his desktop? This should be pushed to the production department, where there are professionals responsible for browsing scripts and screening projects. This is not his strength, nor is it his job..
With a heavy thump, Barry dropped the script on the table, picked up the phone out of habit, answered the secretary's internal line, and said in a stiff and irritable tone, "What on earth is going on with the script on my desk? This shouldn't happen. On my desktop. You must review errors like this. I don't want to waste time on such boring things. Do your job.！”
“Sir, that is a script that Andy Rogers personally sent to you. He told you that it must be handed over to you personally, saying that it is a project that Renly likes." The secretary's voice was slightly tight, and you could feel her nervousness. She waited for a moment. , without waiting for Barry's response, she didn't know whether she should continue talking..
“There's more？”
Barry's voice finally came from the other end of the phone, and the secretary breathed a sigh of relief, "Also, Andy not only came to us, he also went to Universal Pictures.”
Universal Pictures？
Everyone knew that Ron Meyer never put down his dignity and refused to compromise with Renly. The relationship between the two parties was neither awkward nor awkward, nor far nor near, but Andy took the initiative to come to the door. Go, what is this for? I carefully recalled everything that happened on Oscar night, but there were so many detailed and trivial things that I couldn’t sort it out for a while..
After tapping his fingertips lightly on the desk for a while, Barry made sure that the secretary had nothing else to say before he hung up the phone..
There were too many potential possibilities now, and too few puzzle clues to figure it out in a short time. So, Barry temporarily put aside all his thoughts, inserted the USB flash drive into the computer, and started playing the short video; at the same time, he also I opened the script and started browsing it with two minds..
In just a few minutes, the short video has been played. After only flipping through a few pages of the original script, he roughly has an understanding of the outline and structure. Barry is not interested in the artistic attainments and themes of "Explosive Drummer" because He was not an artist; and Barry had made an early judgment about the commercial benefits of this work——
Obviously, this is not a profitable work.
Strictly speaking, even if it can make money, it can only make a few million dollars at most. After all, it is just an independent art project and cannot make a lot of money. As for impacting the awards season, Barry does not have the ability to appreciate it. That is another way of thinking. Not on his radar.
For Warner Brothers, they have a certain quota for such small projects every year, and they will inevitably invest in a few to ensure that they will not disappear during the awards season, and then go to major film festivals to purchase the distribution of some independent artistic works. right to further participate in the awards season competition.
But in the final analysis, this is not the main development line of Warner Bros., and Barry will not spend a lot of energy on it..
Focus Features under Universal Pictures, Fox Searchlight under 20th Century Fox, Miramax Pictures under Disney, Paramount Classics under Paramount, and so on, they are all committed to digging out more Independent art film, create your own brand.
Warner Bros. is different. Although they also own subsidiaries such as New Line Cinema and Warner Independent Pictures, the company's policies have never spent much energy on independent art films. At best, they can only be regarded as a small one among them. Just a branch.
If it were any other time, Barry would not be interested in such a project at all, even if it is a project of the Coen brothers or Renly. Barry is very willing to cooperate, he is willing to hand over the project to a professional department, and generously Funding support ensures the stability of the network without spending more energy on discussing the details of the project..
Generally speaking, super projects are the focus of their development, especially now that the company is standing at a crossroads of development, which is likely to affect the development plan for the next ten years. But on the other hand, it is also the same Because of this, Barry must think more carefully about Renly's proposal..
Barry's instinct told him that the whole project appeared on his desk, and timing was obviously an important factor. Even if it wasn't Renly's idea, it must have been Andy's - otherwise, Andy wouldn't have made a special trip to Warner Bros. , leave this script.
It couldn't be easier to agree to invest in an independent project. For a project like "Breaking Drummer", $10 million is sufficient. For Warner Bros., it is not difficult at all..
The point is, this is the first time Renly has acted as an independent producer. What level of importance does the project have in Renly's mind, and what level does Renly's expectations for the project reach?？
Taking it a step further, having won the cooperation of "Explosive Drummer" means that from a long-term perspective, the possibility of cooperation with Renly's other future works will also increase.？
Or to put it another way, as an actor, Renly has proven his worth - and may need further proof. So as a producer, is Renly's vision for film selection also a guarantee of success? Also, in terms of screenwriting and production, is Renly's reputation guarantee trustworthy?.
Simply put, is Renly Hall, like Christopher Nolan, worthy of studios’ long-term investment?？
Not long ago, on Oscar night, Barry was rejoicing that the relationship between Warner Bros. and Renly was on the right track. From "Edge of Tomorrow" to "Gravity," the partnership was in a harmonious and virtuous cycle. , in this regard, they are already ahead of other film companies.
Now, the opportunity for in-depth cooperation has really come. It is not a commercial project to make money, but an independent artistic project. From a certain perspective, this is a choice that is in line with Renly's style, but not in line with Warner Brothers' style..
If the long-term cooperation continues, can Renly give Warner Brothers the commercial attribute bonus they expect? In other words, is Renly big enough for Warner Bros. to take the next step?？
In addition, Barry knew that Andy had left clues, and Warner Brothers was not the only choice. This was a conspiracy, a conspiracy that was waiting for a price, but it was also a conspiracy that made people helpless..
So, how should he decide?？
……
After the Oscar night comes to an end, the hustle and bustle of the awards season has officially come to an end. The major film companies have begun to get busy with the new film production cycle in an orderly manner. The Cannes Film Festival is about to come, and the summer season is about to kick off. There are still many things they need to be busy with. However, March and April were still relatively deserted, and the busyness temporarily calmed down a little..
In the midst of this, the name "Renly Hall" was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples that gradually became more and more intense, and finally set off a stormy sea..
According to internal information from the Creative Artist Agency, Renly is preparing an independent art work. This will be the first time that Renly has truly participated in the entire production of a work as a producer.！
Prior to this, Renly appeared on the producer list of "Edge of Tomorrow" and "Gravity" as a nominal producer, but everyone in the industry knew that Renly did not really participate in the production process of the project. Here, I only participated in character creation and script polishing, but more importantly, I fulfilled my responsibilities as an actor..
Therefore, whether it is Paul Greengrass or Alfonso Cuaron, they are full of praise for Renly.
But this time is different. Renly has been involved in the project since its establishment and actively prepared funds for the project. He is obviously more proactive in assuming the responsibility of producer. So, what does this mean?？
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